


At The Boarder Of The Day

by Astalitha



Series: Orpheo Looks Back (Dragonverse) [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Dragon!Vader, Sacrifice!Luke, Soul Bond, fic snippets and prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-19 10:20:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10637865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astalitha/pseuds/Astalitha
Summary: Darth Vader is a dragon - a creature of the force, a powerful focal point of creation and destruction. Luke has to deal with that, while navigating his strange existence as a Sacrifice.The fingers of his flesh hand stung painfully. Even as Luke reached into the force, a different answer occurred to him. His father didn't like it when he gave pain as a gift, but it would do. It was a symbol of how much he cared.--prompts and snippets collection.





	1. Healing

 "Does it hurt much?" he asked quietly, unsure where to put his hands.

Luke couldn't see how bad the damage was, not with all the metal plating in the way. Luke found the catch for the shoulder plates and maneuvered them away, trying not to panic. A twisted slice of metal was buried deeply in his Father's hide.

"It must hurt - Father, you're injured..."

His father made no indication he'd heard him, heaving himself up in a cacophony of screeching machinery and hissing air pressure. His claws carved deep gouges into the earth. He tested his weight on the leg, and made an angry, dangerous noise.

Unthinkingly, Luke reached out, placing one hand between the the sections of his father's helmet, on the soft pink skin between his horns.

"What can I do?" Luke asked

Moving slowly, the dragon twisted his head around. He pushed Luke away, then clamped the metal shard in his mechanized jaws, and -

"Wait-!"

His Father tugged the metal free in a spray of blood and oil.

Luke swore. His father made a pained noise, not unlike an X-Wing taking off. The blood flowed bright, not stopping.

"You should have left it -"

Luke scrambled to cover the wound, staunch the bleeding. His father's blood was hot, burning his fingers and steaming even in the hot desert air.

 _But you will heal it,_ came the response, through the force, as he had spoken with his father sometimes before.

Luke didn't know if he could. He'd never used the force to heal something, didn't know it was even possible.

He set that thought aside. Many things were possible through the force - Yoda had shown him that. And they desperately needed to get away from the crash site before the Admiral's troops located it.

The fingers of his flesh hand stung painfully. Even as Luke reached into the force, a different answer occurred to him. His father didn't like it when he gave pain as a gift, but it would do. It was a symbol of how much he cared.

His Father must have sensed his thoughts, and lurched to move away, but Luke clung on stubbornly. He gave his gift, and felt their shared power grow in exchange. As soon as the flow of blood was staunched, his father moved away.

He tested his weight again. Luke hovered, anxious.

 _Well done,_ came his father's voice again. Luke couldn't help smiling.

"We need to get out of here."

 _Yes,_ came the response. And then, his father knelt.

Luke didn't need asking. He found a foothold in some of the sturdier plating, then swung himself up behind the dragon's shoulders.

They took off across the wastes, Luke whooping. In the distance he thought he heard the sound of TIE fighters. They'd deal with it eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this, please consider [ reblogging on tumblr](http://sohaliatalitha.tumblr.com/post/159616218910/does-it-hurt-much-he-asked-quietly-unsure) or [drop by with a prompt :)](http://sohaliatalitha.tumblr.com/ask)


	2. Arguing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It should be noted that there is no coherent plot happening here - just a series of "Could be's"

"Have YOU got a better idea?" Luke snaps, finally losing patience. 

His father's countenance doesn't change, but Luke regrets it immediately - the peace between them is too recently won.  Vader says nothing for a long moment, the hiss of his breath filling the silence. Luke tightens his cybernetic hand, feeling the pressure of metal on metal. He's not worried. His father won't hurt him.

"Your idea has merit," responds Vader, "but relies entirely too much on Captain Solo's navigatory abilities."

Luke rolls his eyes. "You can't fly in hyperspace, Father, and someone has to deliver the message. Han is the best captain in the rebel fleet -"

Vader cuts him off with a wave of a hand. Luke flushes with annoyance, but bites his tongue. This kind of respect doesn't come naturally to him, so he decides it's a gift.

"Then we will test Captain Solo's mettle," says his Father, turning back to the holomaps.

Luke swallows, trying to let go of his frustration. His father is new to this, he reminds himself. He can't expect him to recognise every single sacrifice Luke makes.

Then his father turns, placing one heavy, gauntleted hand on Luke's shoulder. "This will make things significantly easier," he says, as deeply and evenly as ever.

Luke grins. "Of course it will, I told you, I'm good at this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this work consider re-blogging [on tumblr](http://sohaliatalitha.tumblr.com/post/159656383985/have-you-got-a-better-idea) You can also read more about [Dragonverse.](http://sohaliatalitha.tumblr.com/tagged/dragonverse-writing) I also love [prompts and asks!](http://sohaliatalitha.tumblr.com/ask)


	3. Chapter 3

 

Just a few more paces - he slammed the button for the doors once, twice, three times with his elbow - his hands were full with the mask and his saber. With a sound of rending metal, the creature rounded the corner. Leia's voice sounded through the tannoy.

"Don't you dare, whatever you're thinking stop it right now-"

He didn't listen, backing through the doorway of the airlock. The creature advanced on him, razorlike limbs flailing, and maw yawning.

"Get out of here," he said, hoping Leia could hear him from wherever she was hiding. "I've got this. The Imps'll be all over us any minute. Go."

He jammed the mask over his head. The creature approached, snarling, lashing.

As soon as it pulled itself through the airlock doors, he reached out with the Force and slammed the release button.

His heart was in his throat - what if no-one came for him? If he’d float in space until - he stopped thinking about that. He hoped Leia would listen, wouldn't wait around. He'd be fine. His father would come for him.

With a hiss, the door opened, jettisoning he and the creature into space. It shrieked, but the noise was quickly swallowed by the vacuum.  All Luke could hear was his own breathing, harsh and echoing as he tumbled, spinning weightlessly through the void. With a flash of light, the engines of the frigate fired, and soon Leia and any hope of rescue from that quarter was a distant speck of light that flared briefly, the winked out.

The creature lashed out towards him, vicious in its death throes. Luke lit his saber, fending off its last, desperate attacks. It fell still at last, and then it's life went out like a wink.

Luke suddenly felt profoundly alone. His breath hitched loudly, and his heart was thumping rapidly. He felt afraid. He was panting, no longer just from his dash through the frigate. With a jolt of anxiety, he realised he was wasting air. He forced himself to calm, drawing on the Force.

In. Out.

He tried to meditate, eyes squeezed closed against the black, counting his breaths until they came easy and slow. He might be alone in the black, but the Force was all around him. If nothing else, imperial troops would be there soon. They'd want to pick him up, interrogate him. It would be unpleasant, but he wouldn't die.

And his father might get there first.

He forced himself to turn away from these worries, and focus on the Force. He needed to try, to get help from the only quarter left. And there, in the distance, he finally felt it - the billowing nebula of his father's presence. He reached out.

Vader sensed him almost immediately. They aligned to one another like magnets. It felt like it always did - his own pride, loyalty and affection mirrored in return. It reassured him, like it did every time. His father loved him.

_ Wait for me _ , whispered his father's thoughts.  _ Luke, foolish son of mine. _

Luke smiled.

He opened his eyes, staring out at the distant lights. He drifted for some time, watching stars skim by, counting his slow, steady breaths.

After a while, he started to feel lightheaded - his air was being recycled, and the oxygen was thinning. He felt faintly nauseous.

His father was close now. Luke felt his presence close around him like clouds. He was flooded by light, his eyes burning until he had to squint, and there, silhouetted, the Dragon. In a moment, Vader was before him, blotting out the stars.

Vader snatched him up in one claw. Luke's head spun dizzily.

He came to in the cargo bay of  _ The Protectorate _ , when the ship lurched into hyperspace. He was hyperventilating, too warm. Someone had taken the mask off.

He blinked fuzzily. Aphra was next to him, holding a hypospray and cursing.

"Let me take him up to the med bay, seriously, go get changed!"

She punched Luke with the hypospray.

"Ouch!"

Whatever he was lying against vibrated with a deep rumble.

"Easy, easy - you're awake?" said Aphra.

Luke nodded, sitting up as whatever she'd given him took effect and his breathing calmed. He was leaning against his father's flank - that must be why he was so warm.

"Yeah - how long was I out for?"

His father grumbled again. Luke’s teeth chattered with it. _ Too long. _

"Not that long, kiddo. You're fine - he's fine," she said - his father was still snarling. Aphra scuttled backwards.

"I'm fine," said Luke. Aphra offered him a hand, pulling him up.

His father's tail lashed, knocking over a cargo crate. Luke rolled his eyes.

"Go get changed, you can tell me off properly then," he said.

Expect it. You try my patience beyond measure.

"C'mon," said Aphra, tugging his arm. "Let’s go get you checked out by an actual doctor."

Floating (At The Boarder Of The Day, Part 3)

Luke makes a bad (heroic) decision, and Dragon Dad comes to the rescue.

_ All Luke could hear was his own breathing, harsh and echoing as he tumbled, spinning weightlessly through the void. With a flash of light, the engines of the frigate fired, and soon Leia and any hope of rescue from that quarter was a distant speck of light that flared briefly, the winked out.  _

Just a few more paces - he slammed the button for the doors once, twice, three times with his elbow - his hands were full with the mask and his saber. With a sound of rending metal, the creature rounded the corner. Leia's voice sounded through the tannoy.

"Don't you dare, whatever you're thinking stop it right now-"

He didn't listen, backing through the doorway of the airlock. The creature advanced on him, razorlike limbs flailing, and maw yawning.

"Get out of here," he said, hoping Leia could hear him from wherever she was hiding. "I've got this. The Imps'll be all over us any minute. Go."

He jammed the mask over his head. The creature approached, snarling, lashing.

As soon as it pulled itself through the airlock doors, he reached out with the Force and slammed the release button.

His heart was in his throat - what if no-one came for him? If he’d float in space until - he stopped thinking about that. He hoped Leia would listen, wouldn't wait around. He'd be fine. His father would come for him.

With a hiss, the door opened, jettisoning he and the creature into space. It shrieked, but the noise was quickly swallowed by the vacuum.  All Luke could hear was his own breathing, harsh and echoing as he tumbled, spinning weightlessly through the void. With a flash of light, the engines of the frigate fired, and soon Leia and any hope of rescue from that quarter was a distant speck of light that flared briefly, the winked out.

The creature lashed out towards him, vicious in its death throes. Luke lit his saber, fending off its last, desperate attacks. It fell still at last, and then it's life went out like a wink.

Luke suddenly felt profoundly alone. His breath hitched loudly, and his heart was thumping rapidly. He felt afraid. He was panting, no longer just from his dash through the frigate. With a jolt of anxiety, he realised he was wasting air. He forced himself to calm, drawing on the Force.

In. Out.

He tried to meditate, eyes squeezed closed against the black, counting his breaths until they came easy and slow. He might be alone in the black, but the Force was all around him. If nothing else, imperial troops would be there soon. They'd want to pick him up, interrogate him. It would be unpleasant, but he wouldn't die.

And his father might get there first.

He forced himself to turn away from these worries, and focus on the Force. He needed to try, to get help from the only quarter left. And there, in the distance, he finally felt it - the billowing nebula of his father's presence. He reached out.

Vader sensed him almost immediately. They aligned to one another like magnets. It felt like it always did - his own pride, loyalty and affection mirrored in return. It reassured him, like it did every time. His father loved him.

_ Wait for me _ , whispered his father's thoughts.  _ Luke, foolish son of mine. _

Luke smiled.

He opened his eyes, staring out at the distant lights. He drifted for some time, watching stars skim by, counting his slow, steady breaths.

After a while, he started to feel lightheaded - his air was being recycled, and the oxygen was thinning. He felt faintly nauseous.

His father was close now. Luke felt his presence close around him like clouds. He was flooded by light, his eyes burning until he had to squint, and there, silhouetted, the Dragon. In a moment, Vader was before him, blotting out the stars.

Vader snatched him up in one claw. Luke's head spun dizzily.

He came to in the cargo bay of  _ The Protectorate _ , when the ship lurched into hyperspace. He was hyperventilating, too warm. Someone had taken the mask off.

He blinked fuzzily. Aphra was next to him, holding a hypospray and cursing.

"Let me take him up to the med bay, seriously, go get changed!"

She punched Luke with the hypospray.

"Ouch!"

Whatever he was lying against vibrated with a deep rumble.

"Easy, easy - you're awake?" said Aphra.

Luke nodded, sitting up as whatever she'd given him took effect and his breathing calmed. He was leaning against his father's flank - that must be why he was so warm.

"Yeah - how long was I out for?"

His father grumbled again. Luke’s teeth chattered with it. _ Too long. _

"Not that long, kiddo. You're fine - he's fine," she said - his father was still snarling. Aphra scuttled backwards.

"I'm fine," said Luke. Aphra offered him a hand, pulling him up.

His father's tail lashed, knocking over a cargo crate. Luke rolled his eyes.

"Go get changed, you can tell me off properly then," he said.

_ Expect it. You try my patience beyond measure. _

"C'mon," said Aphra, tugging his arm. "Let’s go get you checked out by an actual doctor."  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this work consider re-blogging [on tumblr](http://sohaliatalitha.tumblr.com/post/159907473095/dragon-dad-rescuing-his-idiot-son) You can also read more about [Dragonverse.](http://sohaliatalitha.tumblr.com/tagged/dragonverse-writing) I also love [prompts and asks!](http://sohaliatalitha.tumblr.com/ask)


End file.
